FLORIANA-1, BALZAN-1

Floriana and Balzan had to settle for a point apiece after their match ended 1-1 this evening.

There was little between these two teams with Floriana enjoying their best spell in the opening part of the second half but Balzan came back strongly to equalise, in the process moving a point above Mosta and only one behind Birkirkara.

The game was hardly one minute old when Floriana threatened to seize the lead.

Matteo Piciollo cut in from the left before passing to Vito Plut whose dangerous effort was deflected away for a corner.

Jean Pierre Mifsud Triganza also had a good chance to give Balzan the lead but his grounder was saved by Valerio Senatore.

Elkin Serrano, Balzan defender, was cautioned for barging into the advancing Plut. From the ensuing free-kick, Douglas Felipe fired over.

Balzan went close when Oscar Guerrero's corner was deflected towards Serrano but his flick was cleared off the line by a defender.

The two teams upped their game.

A diagonal run by Floriana's Amadou Samb took him into the Balzan box but the Senegalese's was pushed away by Steve Sultana, the Balzan goalkeeper.

Balzan were unlucky not to take the lead when Edison Bilbao Zarate squared to Gianmarco Piccioni but the Italian was denied by the post.

Another inviting chance for Balzan was wasted when Zarate, unmarked in the six-yard box, headed wide from Mifsud Triganza's cross.

Floriana should have taken the lead when Samb, put through by Plut, was unmarked in the box but his tame attempt came off the Sultana.

Pisani then went close with a rising shot that sailed past the far post.

The Greens struck eight minutes into the second half. Pisani's excellent cross from a corner was met by Samb who headed home.

From another Pisani corner, Floriana almost made it 2-0 but Plut's close-range flick was cleared off the line.

The erstwhile off-colour Balzan raised their game as the second half reached the halfway point. Diego Felipe almost ncommitted an own goal as his clearance from Mifsud Triganza's cross-shot ended just over the crossbar.

Balzan levelled in their next attack, Serrano heading home from close range after getting on the end of Mifsud Triganza's cross.

Piccioni looked certain to fire Balzan ahead but his grounder from inside the box was pushed away by the alert Senatore.

In the closing stages, Piccioni rifled over from a free-kick.

In stoppage time, Floriana had two penalty appeals turned down by referee Clayton Pisani.

Zarate, the Balzan midfielder, was named BOV player of the match.